ADMIN

Day 2 of Microsoft's annual Build conference began with a keynote presentation hosted by Corporate Vice President Joe Belfiore. This was much shorter than the Day 1 keynote and focused on Microsoft 365. The presentation was split into the following "chapters":

Windows

Windows Developers

Office Development

Microsoft Graph

For me, the most interesting topic was Adaptive Cards - a technology that allows you to add functionality to Office Applications, Microsoft Teams, or SharePoint. Organizations can create Cards that access user and group data in Microsoft Graph and share data across applications.

Many of the features discussed in the keynote are available by joining the Insiders Program and using early releases of Windows and Office. Information on the Insiders Program is here.

Microsoft held its annual Build conference this week in Seattle. Years ago, these large developer conferences were a chance for Microsoft to reveal everything they had been working on for the past year. In recent years, the company has been much more open, allowing users and customers to see products as they develop. But that did not mean that Microsoft did not have some big announcements this year.

The Day 1 keynote was hosted by CEO Satya Nadella and CVP Scott Guthrie and focused on developer tools and cloud computing. Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, and the Visual Studio ecosystem took center stage.

For me, the most interesting announcements were Azure Dev Spaces, Azure Cognitive Search, Azure Databricks, Kubernetes as a Service, and DevOps Projects.

Of course, the most exciting part came 3 minutes into the keynote, when they announced that the 2 youngest Build attendees were the 10- and 12-year-old daughters of my friends Tibi and Nicoleta!

Containers + Serverless Kubernetes as a Service View health of each container Logging available Query, show charts Azure Dev Spaces Run and debug in a private space in Azure Azure Event Grid Serverless composition Workflow executed

A friend recently emailed me to say he accepted a job leading the Microsoft practice of a consulting company that doesn’t work much with Microsoft technologies. As part of his job, he is expected to evangelize the practice and technologies. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen someone do this, so I’m sharing my response below.

Congratulations on the new job! It sounds like you are on the right track.

User groups are a great way to connect with the local developer community. They are good for finding customers, but better for recruiting talent. Consider sponsoring. Also, encourage your team to speak at user groups and code camps. This builds credibility and name recognition.

The lunchtime sessions to teach technology sound great. Consider having a long session once a month and inviting the public.

You are smart to focus on Azure. Azure is a big part of Microsoft’s future and, because Azure supports so many open source and competing technologies, it will fit in well with existing projects and existing customers. Key parts of Azure that appeal to non-Microsoft technologists are:

Web Apps that support Java, node, Python, and other languages

Mobile Apps provide a back-end for Android or iPhone apps

Linux VMs on Azure (about a third of all Azure VMs run Linux)

HD Insight Big Data Analysis based on Hadoop open source supports any data type (and you can code in Python)

Azure Machine Learning supports any data type (and you can code in Python)

This week, Microsoft hosted the keynote event in New York City. Although attendees could travel to New York to attend in person, most who watched the keynote (including me) watched a live stream or recording of the keynote and breakout sessions online.

There were a number of important announcements, including Microsoft joining the Linux Foundation; the upcoming Visual Studio 2017; and Visual Studio on a Mac.

Here are the notes I took during the keynote:

VSCODE Support for multiple languages Intellisense support for hundreds of npm modules Docker extension (constainerize app)

The Microsoft Build conference opened this morning. Some of the announcements were technologies that had been previously announced, but are now more generally available (such as Hololens); Some were brand new technologies, such as Bash on Windows.

I was most excited about the Microsoft Bot Framework that allows you to build intelligent bots that interact with Cortana to act as a personal assistant within your app; and Cognitive Services, which includes many of the APIs included in Project Oxford.

Below are the raw notes I took during the keynote. Please let me know (politely) if you discover any typos.

Edge: Biometric authentication for supporting web sites

Fingerprint login (USAA web site)

Ink

Sticky notes: Cortana recognizes words like "tomorrow" as date in appointments or reminder

Draw lines on a map: Distance automatically calculated.

Add labels to map: Labels stay in place when map is rotated in 3D space

Earlier today, Microsoft held an event in New York city to talk about devices that support Windows 10. Most of these devices (Surface Pro 4, SurfaceBook, new Lumia phones, Microsoft Band v2) will be released in the next few weeks, while the Hololens will likely be out next year.

Personally, I am most excited by the new phones (Continuum is amazing) and by the upcoming SurfaceBook (which I did not know about before today), but there was impressive news in every category.

Earlier this week, dozens of technologists from the Microsoft DX Team met in San Diego for a team hackathon.

Some brought projects they started back home; some brought hardware with them to control via Bluetooth or USB cable or through the Internet; some brought an idea for a software project; some for a hardware project.

I came with a desire to learn more about Azure Machine Learning. I was inspired by the work that my teammate Jennifer Marsman was doing analyzing EEG data with AML. (link)

Then I tried it myself. AML provides some sample data sources, so I imported the xxx data. I cleaned the data and applied a Category algorithm.

Machine Learning seems complex and the AML tools are not all intuitive when you first begin working with them; but they are not difficult to master. And the graphical interface of ML Studio lowers the learning curve considerably.

I'll provide more details and instructions about this project in a future blog post.

For now, my message is that building something yourself is the best way to learn any technology. Pick a project, set aside some time, and build it. I know that not every company invests in a day of hacking like mine did, so many of you will need to invest your own time in order to get this benefit. But it’s worth it.

My project wasn't nearly as sexy as some created by my colleagues. But my knowledge of Machine Learning is an order of magnitude greater than it was a week ago.

Technology and Friends began in Sandusky, OH in January 2009. I brought my video camera to Codemash and walked into the speaker room asking people if they wanted to talk on-camera about their favourite technology.

I had an idea that I wanted to publish these interviews on-line but I did not know what form that would take. Eventually, this idea evolved into Technology and Friends and I've been regularly publishing this show for over 6 and a half years. It's rare that a Monday passes without the release of a new episode.

Users can now subscribe to the show

This has been the single biggest request I've received. And it’s built into Channel 9.

Users can download each episode in the resolution of their choosing.

Channel 9 encodes all videos in High, Medium, and Low Quality. If bandwidth or disc space is tight, you can choose the lower quality. For better viewing, choose the high quality. For lower bandwidth or limited disc space, choose the smaller files.

Users can download the audio

This was another common request from fans of the show. It's now possible to grab just the audio to listen while you're driving, exercising or working around the house.

Reduced cost

I've been paying for this show out of my own pocket and the online fees alone come to almost a thousand dollars a year.

Wider exposure

Channel 9 reaches a very broad audience and this show will be indexed along with their other content, making it easier to find for a number of people.

So far, I have migrated the last 6 months of shows. In the coming weeks, I plan to move more of the older shows to the new site. I hope you enjoy the experience. Let me know your thoughts.

The Microsoft Build conference kicked off this morning with a keynote that lasted nearly 3 hours and included announcements on Azure, Office 365, Windows 10, and HoloLens.

Personally, I was most excited to hear about Azure SQL database pool and Data Warehouse, the Cortana integration on Windows 10, support for Chrome extensions in Microsoft Edge (formerly "Project Spartan") and the potential of virtual reality apps with HoloLens.

The keynote was recorded and will be available soon (along with all Build sessions) http://www.buildwindows.com/. I encourage you to watch for yourself, determine the topics that most interest you, and watch breakout sessions that dive deeper into those topics.

Below are notes I took during the keynote. This is by no means an official list and I may have misheard some things. But I think it will give you an idea of where Microsoft is headed the next few months.

The year has flown by. I remember being at a customer site in Toledo last summer when the recruiter called and offered me a job pending a background check. I remember standing outside the speaker room at Dev Connections in Las Vegas when my new boss Scott Fuller officially offered me the job. I remember how hard it was to tell my old boss I was leaving. I remember how excited I was to tell my friends the news. I remember feeling giddy that first day as I drove to Southfield for my orientation.

I had been trying to land a job as a Microsoft Technical Evangelist for years - ever since I first met Josh and Jennifer and Brian and Jeff and saw what they did and how smart they are and how how much good they were able to accomplish and how much fun they had doing it. But this job was only available in other parts of the country and family obligations kept me from moving. But last year, both my sons moved out of state and a Jennifer Marsman told me about an opening in Chicago and I jumped at the chance. A few months (and many interviews) later, I was in.

I spent the first week shadowing Jennifer, watching her work and learning as much as I could. I traveled to Chicago the next week and met with my new boss Scott and shadowed Dave Bost and Martin Schray, learning all I could from them.

Many people describe working at Microsoft as "drinking from a fire hose" and that is an excellent metaphor. There is so much to learn and so much to do and often it's not obvious what you should be doing or learning. My time management skills are honed sharper today than they ever have in the past.

I'm really happy in my role as an Evangelist, which consists of a lot of teaching people how to build apps on Azure, Windows 8, and Windows Phone. I love the opportunity to learn and I love the impact I have on a number of different communities. Coming in, I was focused on the developer community, spending time at user groups and code camps. But I've discovered that startups have their own community and they bring their own kind of passion to what they do. And I've spent a lot of time with student groups on campus and gained a new perspective into the American higher education system. I've met so many people who are passionate about what they do, which inspires me to excel at my tasks.

One challenge of this job has been the large amount of travel. Shortly after I joined, I was asked to cover both the Midwest and the Heartland Districts - an area stretching from Wisconsin to Tennessee. I'm proud to say that I scheduled multiple events in each of these 7 states. But it did involve a lot of driving and more than a few nights when I did not get enough sleep. I’m writing this article from a hotel room in Edina, MN. In a few minutes I’ll drive to Madison, WI to speak at a user group before driving down to Chicago tonight where I have 3 events planned for tomorrow.

After a year, I can say that I've learned a lot, I've done some good, I've lost some sleep, I've made some friends, and I've loved it.

Now I have a new boss, new metrics, and a new home (I've moved to Chicago). The future is filled with challenges. But it's very bright. I'm excited for the next 365 days and beyond!

There are two ways to sign up: With and without an Enrollment Code. If you don’t have an Enrollment Code, your application goes into a queue and is evaluated by someone at Redmond and you will hear back in a week or two with a message indicating whether or not you were accepted into the program. If you sign up with an Pre-Approved Enrollment Code, you can begin accessing your benefits immediately! I or another BizSpark Champion can provide you with a Pre-Approval Enrollment Codes.

Qualifying startups can contact their local evangelist to receive a Pre-Approval Enrollment Code.

You may need to log in with a Microsoft account (formerly known as a Live account). If you use Microsoft services, such as OneDrive or Instant Messaging, you already have a Microsoft account; If not, you can get one here.

Click "Join Now".

2. Select Language

The “Language” page displays, as shown below.

Scroll down Select a Language from the Dropdown Click the [Next] button.

3. Enter Startup Information

The “Your Startup” page displays, as shown below.

Scroll down (again) If you have a Pre-Approved Enrollment code, enter it into the "Enrollment Code (optional)" textbox. If not, leave this box blank. NOTE: Although the Enrollment Code is optional, there is a great advantage to having one: a Pre-Approval code will enroll you immediately, instead of waiting a week; and it will guarantee your acceptance in the program. Enter the rest of the form with information about you and your company. Click the [Next] button.

4. Agree to Terms

The “Agreement” page displays, as shown below.

Scroll down (again) Click the Checkbox to indicate acceptance of the End-User License Agreement Click the [I Accept] button.

5. Confirmation

The “Thank You” / Confirmation page displays, as shown below.

At this point, you should be either enrolled in the BizSpark program or have submitted your application. Those who are enrolled can click “My Benefits” to see how to download software and activate their Azure account and immediately beginning taking advantage of the BizSpark benefits.

Starting a software company involves a lot of risk, including (but not limited to) financial risk, technology risk, market risk, and timing risk. Microsoft is actively trying to remove at least some of the risk for startup companies who are developing a software product or service. Because the first few years of a company tend to have the highest risk, Microsoft is offering the BizSpark program to mitigate that extra risk until a company stabilizes. The BizSpark program is designed to provide free software, free cloud computing hour, and free access to technical resources to qualified startups.

Specific benefits of the BizSpark program are:

Free Microsoft software, including Windows, Visual Studio, SQL Server, Office, and many more. BizSpark members can download many thousands of dollars worth of software for free for 3 years

$150 a month of Microsoft Azure cloud computing hours. If you are not familiar with Azure, check out http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/ to see all the services that are available. There are too many Azure services to describe here, but startups often find Web Sites, Virtual Machines, and Azure Mobile Services useful in promoting or integrating with their products. If your demand increases, beyond this, there is even a chance to increase this to $5000 per month for one year.

Free access to technical resources, such as Microsoft Technical Evangelists. Your local evangelist likely has regular office hours and can help you troubleshoot some of your technical issues.

There is absolutely no obligation or cost to joining the BizSpark program. At the end of the 3 years, you keep the software you have installed. There is no fee for the program and obligation to buy more software or Azure hours (although, we certainly hope that you do.)

In the past, a startup was required to apply to the BizSpark program and wait for a response from Microsoft (sometimes for over a week). Now, however, I can provide a code to eligible startups that registers them in the BizSpark program immediately.

If you meet the above criteria and you would like to take advantage of the program, reach out to to your local Technical Evangelist (If you are in Wisconsin, Illinois, or Indiana, that is me) and describe your startup’s product.

I am involved in a number of first-party events from Microsoft over the next few weeks. Many people have contributed to the content of these events and they should be very educational. All events are free and last a full day. The dates and registration links are below:

Do you have existing .NET client line of business (LOB) applications? Join Microsoft developer experts, and see how to modernize these applications and move them forward. Learn what the Microsoft devices and services strategy is and how existing applications fit in. See demos, and work through hands-on labs to learn how and why to move your LOB applications to Windows Azure, how to use third-party controls to add a modern look and feel, and how to provide your users the ability to use LOB apps on a variety of devices, including Windows 8 and Windows Phone. And do all of this using Visual Studio 2013 and your existing XAML skills!

Agenda Topics:

· Overview

o Get an overview of the Microsoft platform, and discover the main reasons why developers (and businesses) should build on it. Learn what we mean when we talk about devices and services and the opportunities they present.

· Adopt a Services Architecture

o Learn about best practices for building WPF LOB applications that are based on a services architecture. Review the Expenses app that serves as foundation for the session, and explore a number of coding topics.

· Move to the Cloud

o Find out how to cloud-enable the Expenses app so users can access expense data on-premises and off-premises. Walk through the steps, including configuring the WCF service to use SQL Azure, deploying the WCF service to an Azure Web Site, and configuring the Expenses app to use the cloud service.

· Lunch

· Modernize Your App

o Explore new features in Visual Studio 2013 that make XAML development easier. Learn about controls provided by third-party vendors, and see how they can be used to build WPF apps that have a more modern look and feel.

· Build for Multiple Devices

o See how you can take your existing skills and build Windows 8 and Windows Phone apps. Get a basic overview, and then see how to build an Expenses app for both of these platforms to provide users the ability to manage their expenses on additional devices.

Dev Days 2014

Microsoft’s Refactor Your Dev Skills at Dev Days 2014 is a conference where Microsoft shares the latest Operating System, cloud, device, development and developer tools. Much of the material is inspired from the 2014 Build Conference, with exciting announcements expected in all of the categories above. If you didn’t have time to view as many build sessions as you would have liked, and didn’t have time to pull together the key developments, this is the conference for you. These events are meant to distill an overview of the latest developments on Microsoft platforms and highlight some of the best new capabilities coming in each areas below:

Agenda

An overview of what was announced at Build

What’s new in the cloud platform?

What’s new in building web technology native apps?

What’s new in .NET Language apps?

What’s new in Visual Studio and Application Lifecycle Management?

How to get started using new capabilities.

Windows Azure Developer Camp: Make It Happen In The Cloud

Join a Microsoft Azure Developer Camp and leave with code running in the cloud! This is a free, one-day Microsoft Azure Instructor led Workshop where you roll up your sleeves and get hands-on with the latest Microsoft Azure development tools and technologies. We will start with the basics and build on to more advanced topics, featuring instructor led hands-on labs for: - Learn how to build infrastructure at the speed of code with Virtual Machines in the cloud - Build your first cloud native application, and deploy it into an auto-management environment - Easily configure single sign-on for your ASP.NET application, and learn how to extend your corporate identity store to apps in the cloud. Throughout the day, you’ll hear from local Microsoft Azure Partner specialists and Microsoft product team members. We’ll talk about how Microsoft Azure, Microsoft’s open and flexible cloud platform, enables you to quickly build, deploy or move existing applications to the cloud. And don't worry, we speak your development language, .NET, node.js, PHP, Python, and all developers are welcome! Be fully prepared for this hands-on day of coding by bringing your laptop and signing up for the free Microsoft Azure trial

Like Day 1, there were a number of big announcements from Microsoft during the Day 2 keynote at the Build conference. The most exciting parts were the new features of Windows Azure (now “Microsoft Azure”), as that team continues to push out new features at an impressive rate.

My notes from the Day 2 Keynote are below. Just like yesterday, these are just my raw notes and it’s possible I missed or misheard or mistyped something. So back off, ok? ;)

Day 1 of the Microsoft Build conference is in the books. The keynote included some exciting announcements. The most significant changes were about Windows Phone 8.1, however there were also some interesting upgrades to Windows 8.1 and Microsoft office, along with a look at new phones from Nokia.

Below are the notes I took during the keynote. I learned most of this information at the same time as the rest of the world. If my notes contain any errors or important omissions, it’s because they are just that – raw notes.

Windows Phone 8.1 Action Center Accessible from anywhere Show important apps and settings Customize lock screen (personalize) start screen Show more tiles (High-density) Background Cortana Digital assistant Powered by bing Replaces WP8 Search button Quiet hours Infers places and interests, but you can override or add to these Personal assistant: "What's on my calendar for Saturday?" "Wake me up at 7AM" "Put dentist appointment on my calendar for August first at 10AM" Lets you know about conflict Cortana is currently in BETA! "Next time I talk with X, remind me to talk about Y" Sets reminder. Reminds during next phone call, chat, or e-mail with X. Enterprise VPN on phone S-MIME E-mail Digitally signed e-mail MDM Policy: Workplac settings: workplace apps; restrict apps or saving to phone by role Workflow keyboard drag finger across letters Set Guiness record for fastest phone typing IE11 Reading mode In-private browsing Availability Rolling out to consumers in next few months On new phones in late April / Early May Windows 8.1 Update Mouse and Keyboard users Minimize Modern app User can make taskbar visible Switch between Win32 and Modern apps Power, Search, and Settings on-screen (top-right) Right-click menu on Metro side CTRL+Click New apps highlighted Availability April 8

App Dev Universal Windows apps Same code to produce apps for phone, tablet, and client Migrate existing app Drag common code to "Shared" node in Project Explorer Create custom controls for each platform Common app experience across devices Shared App Identities Customers can buy 1 app and it will work on phone and PC In-app purchaces cross platforms (e.g., buy sword) Devs can choose different experience if desired Submitting app to store now 50x faster